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Table 5 Main arguments for and against PAS when asked which arguments were the most important, and put in the context of whether the respondent’s own trust in healthcare would Increase, Decrease, or Not be influenced if PAS was legalized, presented as proportions (95% confidence intervals in brackets)

From: Trends in Swedish physicians’ attitudes towards physician-assisted suicide: a cross-sectional study

Own trust would:

Arguments for and against PAS

Autonomy based

Non-maleficence based

Other

Decrease (%) (n = 241)

6.6 (3.5–9.7)

76.4 (71.0–81.8)

17.0 (12.3–21.7)

Not be influenced (n = 343)

65.0 (60.0–70.0)

26.8 (22.1–31.5)

8.2 (5.3–11.1)

Increase (n = 106)

91.5 (81.2–96.8)

0.9 (0.0–2.7)

7.6 (2.6–12.6)

  1. Autonomy-based means that a patient’s autonomy is respected rather than protected. Non-maleficence-based means that a patient’s autonomy is protected rather than respected. A large number of respondents (n = 224) abstained from prioritizing these arguments
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BMC Medical Ethics

ISSN: 1472-6939

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